1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to surgical apparatus for fastening objects to body tissue and, more particularly, to a surgical tacking tool configured to apply a loop fastener to a surgical mesh and underlying tissue during surgical procedures to repair body tissue, such as hernia repair.
2. Background of Related Art
A number of surgical procedures require instruments that are capable of applying a surgical fastener to tissue in order to form tissue connections or to secure objects to tissue. For example, during hernia repair it is often desirable to fasten a surgical mesh to the underlying body tissue. In certain hernias, such as direct or indirect inguinal hernias, a part of the intestine protrudes through a defect or an opening in the supporting abdominal wall to form a hernial sac. The opening can be repaired using an open surgery procedure in which a relatively large incision is made in the patient and the hernia is closed off outside the abdominal wall by suturing. Alternatively, a mesh is attached with sutures over the opening to provide reinforcement.
Less invasive surgical procedures are currently available for hernia repair. In laparoscopic procedures, surgery is performed in the abdomen through a small incision, while in endoscopic procedures surgery is performed through narrow endoscopic tubes inserted through small incisions in the body. Laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures generally require long and narrow instruments capable of reaching deep within the body and configured to form a seal with the incision or tube through which they are inserted.
Currently, endoscopic techniques for hernia repair utilize fasteners, such as surgical staples or clips, to secure the mesh to the tissue in order to provide reinforcement to the repair and in order to provide structure for encouragement of tissue ingrowth. These staples or clips need to be compressed against the tissue and mesh in order to secure the two together thereby requiring a tool which is positioned on each side of the mesh and tissue in order to deform the staple or clip. Another type of fastener suited for use in affixing mesh to tissue, during procedures such as hernia repair, is a coil fastener having a helically coiled body portion terminating in a tissue penetrating tip, which helical fastener is screwed into the mesh and body tissue. An example of this type of fastener is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,258,000. Thus, the need exists for an improved surgical fastening apparatus that applies a fastener to surgical mesh and body tissue for effectively securing the mesh to the body tissue.
It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a tacking tool for securing a tack to both surgical mesh and body tissue.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a tacking tool that can apply a tack linearly to both surgical mesh and body tissue.